A lawyer for abuse survivors has criticised Labour ministers for using the “toxic” name of Jimmy Savile in an attempt to “deliberately bait” Nigel Farage, warning it would distress victims of child sexual abuse.
Alan Collins, head of the abuse team at Hugh James solicitors, said it was “concerning” to see Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, and others employ Savile’s name to score political points. Labour has accused Farage and Reform UK of being “on the side of predators like Savile” for opposing the Online Safety Act.
Technology secretary Peter Kyle sparked the row by telling Sky News that if Savile were alive today, he would be “perpetrating his crimes online”, and that Farage was “on their side”. Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, refused to distance the party from the comparison, while Phillips referenced “one of those modern-day Saviles”.
Collins said the comparison would have “triggered” distress and trauma among survivors, adding: “One doesn’t want to think along these lines but one could think it was an attempt to deliberately bait [Farage] … It’s really concerning. There is nothing constructive in it.” He urged ministers to stop using Savile’s name and focus on safeguarding.
Richard Scorer, another solicitor representing Savile victims, said it was “completely wrong” to use their suffering for political purposes, and called for full implementation of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse.
